Title: The Road to
Mercy
Author: Kathy Harris
Pages: 320
Year: 2012
Publisher: Abingdon Press
In our lives we make choices, some of them
are good and others are not. Either good
or bad choices bring consequences into not only our lives, but those around us,
both known and unknown. When we are in a
relationship with another person, whether it is a sibling or friend or even
marital, we bring our history with us.
Our history brings us both memories we would like to be able to go back and
live over and others we would rather forget.
The novel, The Road to Mercy, involves many different characters,
scenes, time frames, and locations.
Throughout the whole novel, it is evident that the author is pointing
out the truth of God’s love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy no matter what our
choices have been. It is a novel of hope,
reminding the reader that the past doesn’t have to negatively affect the
present or the future. If we allow the
Lord to work in our hearts, He uses all things for our good and for the good of
others whether we can see down the road or not.
Interwoven into the pages of the novel is
a reminder of walking our lives by faith and that no matter what our career or
personal life is like, we are human beings when all is stripped away. In being human, we all need Him and the
friendship of others to help us throughout the journey that includes
mountaintop experiences as well as when we are in the valley.
One part of the story is of a baby boy who
alone lived through a plane crash that took the lives of his other family
members. His parents were Messianic
believers and though his grandfather tried to deter Isaac from finding out as
he grew up, he still somehow was learning the truth of his parents’ beliefs. Who would be so bold as to share with him the
faith his parents had and will Isaac come to know the Messiah as well?
Then we have a young married couple who
have kept their past from each other because of the shame and fear it stirred
within their hearts. Bethany had been
brought up in a Christian home, but when she went away to college, she made a
choice. The choice she made wasn’t the
wise one she thought it was at the time.
Now, many years later, the scars she still bears are weighing her down
and binding her in fear. Her life was
brought almost to an end without the help of a good doctor who thought he knew
how to direct her course so she would recover.
However, the problem was Bethany was pregnant. The pain in her head, the risk to her and the
unborn baby were going to bring out skeletons from a past. She had hoped they would never see the light
of day.
Josh lost his mother when he was young. Then, his father’s decisions afterward scarred
the young man. Josh thought he could
handle the health crisis with Bethany, a blossoming music career, the financial
turns in the ministry, and other people’s choices that came to light. The choices made by others caused Josh to be
embarrassed, not so much for the ministry as the thought of what it did to the
witness for Christ. What is Josh going
to do when he is feeling like all hell is breaking lose and coming to realize
he can control none of it?
I read this novel in a matter of
hours. It draws from reader awareness
that it can be true stories in today’s headlines even though the book is
strictly fictional. Perhaps it will
encourage the faith of the reader and light the path to the truth of Jesus
Christ being the only answer when all is said and done. I hope you read this fictional story and perhaps
share it with someone who might need a glimpse of mercy and hope.
My rating is 4 ½ stars.
Note: I received a
complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely
my responsibility. Other reviews can be
read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/
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